Photo: Doug Kerr (Flickr user Dougtone) · CC BY-SA 2.0Fries’ library is a branch of Wythe-Grayson Regional Library, which lends less per resident than 92% of systems its size
Fries’s library is the Fries Public Library, a branch of Wythe-Grayson Regional Library, which serves 43,255 people and lent 54K items last year.
Fries’s library, in brief
Below typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, the Wythe-Grayson Regional Library system sits below the middle on all six per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on six. How it compares ↓
Open only about 16 hours a week
The Fries branch keeps short hours: about 16 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
Virginia pays a big share
24% of the budget comes from the state, and 75% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓
This summary is written from the numbers on this page. Numbers are the library’s own report to the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024; Fries’s library is a branch of Wythe-Grayson Regional Library, so they cover the whole system (43,255 people), not just the Fries branch.
What’s behind Fries’ civic life grade
Fries isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.
Civic life counts registered nonprofits, library visits and online volunteering groups, so it can miss civic life that runs through congregations, mutual aid or neighbors looking out for each other.
Library visits: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024. Nonprofits: IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File, October 2026. Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. How TownRatings grades civic life →
Below most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Wythe-Grayson Regional Library serves 43,255 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 5 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Wythe-Grayson Regional Library system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
54K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
19,388 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 3 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
Find it
Fries Public Library, 105 West Main St., Fries.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Wythe-Grayson Regional Library branch.
New in Fries? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Fries cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $1.1M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $954K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.1M budget.
Fine-free. No late fees on books returned late.
Retail prices are typical, rounded down: a new book $17, a kids’ book $12, an e-book or e-audiobook $15, a movie rental $4, a class or program $10, a computer or Wi-Fi session $3. The average cardholder’s month = the library’s yearly loans, attendance and Wi-Fi sessions ÷ its 2,064 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Fries Public Library is one branch of Wythe-Grayson Regional Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 43,255 people it serves.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average; libraries are compared with others serving about as many people. How TownRatings uses library figures →
Questions about the library and civic life in Fries
Does Fries have a public library?
Yes: Fries Public Library, 105 West Main St., is a branch of Wythe-Grayson Regional Library, which serves 43,255 people. The branch is open about 16 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Wythe-Grayson Regional Library fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
Yes to both: no late fees, and e-books, audiobooks and research databases with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Fries’ library?
It logged 1.6 visits and lent 1.2 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Fries’ civic life grade?
Fries isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Fries.
Libraries: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024. Each library reports its own numbers. Distances are straight-line from the town center. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.